Memphis Grizzlies, without Ja Morant, defeat Oklahoma City Thunder by NBA-record 73 points

It was a game of historic proportions. And the Memphis Grizzlies were on the right side.

As the final buzzer sounded at FedExForum, fans stood and cheered as the Grizzlies won by the largest margin in NBA history 152-79 on Thursday night. The 73-point win surpassed a 68-point victory by the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Miami Heat on Dec. 17, 1991.

The Grizzlies also broke the franchise record for most points in a game.

The Grizzlies didn't waste time pouncing early and then poured it in record fashion. When John Konchar flew in for a thunderous dunk over Isaiah Roby in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies surpassed their previous franchise record of 144 points.

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Scoring records fall

The Grizzlies set single-game franchise records for points, bench points (93), assists (41) and field goal percentage (62.5%). The Grizzlies' previous franchise record for margin of victory was a 49-point win last season in Houston.

A Brandon Clarke 3-pointer in the third quarter gave the Grizzlies (12-10) a 52-point lead against the Thunder (6-16), their first time leading by that many in franchise history. They led by as many as 78 points in the second half, the largest lead in an NBA game since 1997-98 according to Elias Sports.

Per Elias Sports, the Grizzlies became the third team in the last 25 NBA seasons to win three consecutive games without trailing, joining the Los Angeles Clippers in 2015 and Chicago Bulls in 2012. All of this was done while Ja Morant was on the sidelines missing his third game with a sprained knee.

Jaren Jackson Jr. goes off

Is it a coincidence that Jackson has been at his best during this three-game streak? Probably not. Jaren Jackson Jr. added another dominant performance with 27 points, two blocks and two steals in just 20 minutes

He was 9-of-11 from the field, including 6-of-7 on three pointers. For the third consecutive game, he raised his scoring after having 17 and 25 points in the previous two games. Most of all, he played the game without committing a foul.

Jackson's taken on a greater role with Morant out and he's been the center of the Grizzlies' improving their defense in this stretch.

Santi Aldama joins the fun

Aldama wasn't exactly "Santi Claus" but he brought an early gift to Grizzlies fans in his second extended play of the season. The rookie surpassed his career high in shots with seven in the first quarter and had a personal 6-0 scoring run.

He finished with a career-high 18 points and 10 rebounds in his first NBA double-double. With both Ziaire Williams and Kyle Anderson out, Aldama had the best game of his young career.

He finished with a plus-52 on the court, the highest single-game plus-minus rating in franchise history. It also stood in stark contrast to Thunder center Jeremiah Robinson-Earl being a minus-56 and guard Lu Dort being a minus-53.

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De'Anthony Melton starts the jam session

De'Anthony Melton had 19 points but had the first highlight of the evening t with a dunk over two Thunder players. The dunk parade didn't stop there.

Besides Konchar's fourth-quarter dunk, Culver had a one-handed alley-oop finish in the period. It was highlight central as the Grizzlies outclassed the short-handed Thunder, which lost their eighth consecutive game.

The road gets tougher

The Grizzlies' first three-game win streak of the season has been impressive but it came over the Kings, Raptors and the Thunder. The schedule now gets tougher the next four games.

The Grizzlies face the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and then have a two-game homestand against the Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers. But if the Grizzlies can keep up the defense they showed in the three games without Morant, they'll have a chance to earn more quality wins as their leader continues to recover.

Next up

The Grizzlies head to Dallas to face the Mavericks and All-Star Luka Doncic on Saturday (7:30 p.m., Bally Sports Southeast). It'll be their first meeting of the season after the Mavericks took two out of three games last season.

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This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies defeat Oklahoma City Thunder by NBA-record 73 points